Pressure Grows on Almunia Over EU Google Settlement

By

Vanessa Mock

Feb 20, 2014 5:03 am ET

The European Union’s antitrust chief Joaquín Almunia is facing mounting pressure to reconsider aspects of this month’s settlement with Google Inc.

In recent weeks, other members of the European Commission — including Viviane Reding, Michel Barnier and Günther Oettinger — complained in closed-door meetings that Mr. Almunia announced the Google settlement without fully consulting them beforehand, EU officials said. Now, the competition chief has been asked to appear before a European Parliament committee to explain the commission’s deal with the search giant.

Mr. Almunia earlier this month announced a landmark dealwith Google to address concerns over its abuse of dominance in Europe, where it enjoys a market share of over 90%.

In a letter to Mr. Almunia, two lawmakers dealing with antitrust issues at the parliament said they were ‘unsettled’ by reports of disagreement among the bloc’s 28 commissioners over the settlement and by the “serious criticism from several industry stakeholders and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic.”